Blue Jay
by IndigoWinter
Summary: She didn't understand it. Her father dead, her brother a stranger, and suddenly there were demons out for her blood- or worse. But she did understand that whatever happened, it wasn't going to break her. Because she wasn't just the daughter of Satan, but Rin Okumura, badass exorcist in training and determined to be the one to kick her "dear old dad"'s ass! Fem!Rin MangaCanon
1. Chapter 1

Blue Jay

Chapter 01: Family Reunion Pt. 1

* * *

Rin Okumura hated very few things.

She hated color coordinating outfits. She hated her old man's insistence on replacing every pair of pants she owned with skirts at least once a year. She hated it when her brother got hurt.

And she hated Reiji Shiratori.

She didn't know his name when she first saw him, and didn't care. All she saw when she first laid eyes on Reiji, dragging her feet from the local Job Centre, was some asshole torturing birds. There were at least a dozen feathered bodies on the black top around him and his gang. Some were missing legs, others wings, and at least two were decapitated. The albino had a bloodied knife in his hand, and was stepping on the mangled wing of one pigeon still alive. It was letting out these pitiful…defeated…_sounds_ that made something in Rin boil over- a sensation she was all too familiar with.

He didn't even see her until she landed her first punch.

His gang didn't know how to react- they were either too stunned by seeing their leader hit the concrete, or too stupid to know how do anything without his direction. Either way, Rin was thankful for the opening, and followed up her first swing with another to his face. Reiji's nose cracked pleasantly under her fist, and his right eye immediately began to swell.

"You sick _bastards_," she spat, not even noticing how his numerous facial piercings had torn open the skin on her knuckles. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

"R-Reiji-!"

One of his friends went to help Reiji up, who was busy holding his nose and grunting in pain. Another looked between Rin and his boss, before scowling and charging toward her.

"You _bitch_-!"

Rin managed to get out of the way of his first punch, but then the fourth member of the gang followed it up with a swing of his own, hitting her face. She stumbled back a few feet and blood immediately started dripping from her nose- but she had been hit enough in her life to know it wasn't quite broken. She steeled herself and knocked the same guy off his feet when he tried to get another cheap shot off at her.

Reiji, leaning with one arm on one of his gang members and using a different one to hold his face, called to them.

"This isn't worth our time. Let's get out of here! Now!" he said, but Rin could hear the silent promise in his voice that she'd be seeing them again, sooner or later. The fight sure as hell hadn't been her first, so the implication didn't even make her flinch.

The group began to retreat, but not before one got off, "Bitch probably broke my nose! Like some sort of demon!"

The comment made something old and worn sting in the teen's chest, but she ignored it in favor of checking on the remaining bird. It twitched when she got close, then flew up and away in a flurry of feathers, seemingly no worse for wear.

Rin allowed herself to calm down, and watched it until it was out of sight, before brushing away blood from her upper lip with the back of her hand. Her split knuckles stung at the contact with the crimson substance, and she hissed. A few drips had managed to spill onto her sweatshirt, no doubt staining it for good.

"Great," she sighed, and then remembered her failed job excursion from earlier in the day. "Just…_great_."

* * *

_Drip, drip, drip._

"_Rin…"_

_She couldn't let him see her cry, so she furiously wiped her eyes with the back of her sleeve. She handed her brother his glasses with her left hand, because her right was weirdly twisted and she couldn't feel it. _

"_I got em back for you," she said. _

"_Rin!" Yukio threw his arms around his big sister, tears in his eyes. "You're bleeding!"_

_Rin smiled softly. "I'm okay. Jeeze, I got em back so you wouldn't cry. Now my shoulder's all wet…"_

_The playground was buzzing. Bystanders were a gasp in horror. Two boys, no more than six or seven, where on the ground nearby, wailing and sobbing in pain. Their parents had already called an ambulance. Rin could feel blood dripping down her face, and her right wrist throbbed numbly. She couldn't move any of the fingers. _

_One of the injured boy's fathers reeled around and locked eyes on her tiny form, ablaze with anger. He marched up to her and painfully grabbed her injured hand, making her yelp in agony. Yukio fell to the ground in the sudden motion, and the father began shaking the girl in fury. _

"_What the hell did you do to my son?!" he asked. He pulled her up so her tips of her toes just grazed the ground. "He can't even move! What the hell are you?! You- You little-!"_

_He pulled a hand back to strike her, and Rin shut her eyes-_

"_That's enough."_

_Rin fell to the ground as her hand was abruptly released. She looked up, half-dazed from the pain. _

_Father Fujimoto of Southern Cross Monastery was there, holding back the angry parent's arm. _

"_Your son needs you now," he said, evenly, like a calm before a storm. "You should go to him."_

_The father stared at the priest, adrenalin and rage draining from his form. He slouched, didn't spare Rin a second glance, and went back to where his son was being loaded into an ambulance. Rin wanted to run up to him, hug him, and ask him to take them home, when a sudden bout of nausea and dizziness hit her. The six year old didn't remember falling, but felt the cool ground against her cheek, and saw nothing but darkness._

_000_

"…_not pressing charges. No one knows what really happened. I mean, who's going to believe that a little girl managed to shatter a boy's collar bone and break his shoulder blade with a single punch?"_

_There was a pause. _

"_They only ask that she never set foot in the school again. I'd advise you to comply, for everyone's sake."_

"…_I understand."_

"_Good. Thank you for your time."_

_Rin overheard the entire conversation from just outside the room. It was dark out, nearing nine o'clock, and she looked down at her bandaged and splinted hand. _

_Something was wrong with her. She hadn't meant to hit the bully at school so hard; just enough to push him away. To get Yukio's glasses. To make sure they never bullied him again. And…now he was hurt. Really, badly, hurt. _

_She sank down and curled her knees up to her chest. Her body shook and her eyes stung, but she refused to cry. She was normal. There was nothing wrong with her. _

_Something wet ran down her cheek and hit the floor. She hugged her legs tighter. _

"_Rin."_

_A blanket was draped over her shaking shoulders. She didn't look up, but knew who was there. Her father had crouched down to her level and said, softly, _

"_Rin," he began. "Rin, look at me."_

_She didn't want to. She was weird and wrong and some kind of monster-_

"_Rin," he said again, now sterner, and she did, tear streaked cheeks gleaming under the low lights. He looked at her and sighed, before brushing a bit of hair from her face. "Why are you crying?"_

"_I'm some sort of _freak_," she spat, angry at herself. _

_Fugimoto sat down beside her. "No, you're not."_

"_Yes I am!" She almost shouted, now angry at him for lying. "I can't-!"_

_The priest pulled the girl to his chest, silencing any further protests. "You're a perfectly normal, adorable girl, and my daughter. You're Yukio's big sister. Don't let _anyone_ ever tell you anything different."_

* * *

Southern Cross Monastery.

Rin tried to straighten her jeans and sweatshirt the best she could before setting foot inside. The aroma of whatever had been made for dinner wafted toward her. It sounded like they'd already started eating without her- not that she could get mad at them. She _may_ have purposely taken the longest route home.

Rin was _not_ looking forward to her old man's latest lecture about getting a job, and find a place in the world, and taking on responsibilities and- _ugh. _

It wasn't like she didn't want to do those things. She just…she _thought_…

Rin sighed and opened the door. No use worrying about that now.

Yukio was there instantly, eyes honing in on her injuries and narrowing. For a guy who needed glasses to see three feet in front of his face, her brother was somehow able to spot the smallest of small scratches no matter how hard Rin tried to hide them.

"I'm _ho-me_~!" she called out, deliberately ignoring Yukio for the moment, and put on her best _I-don't-know-what-you're-looking-at _face.

"Welcome back," Yukio said as neutrally as possible.

Rin nodded absently, and made her way to where everyone from the monastery was gathered around the dinner table. She took her seat across from the Old Man himself, trying to simultaneously act as normal as possible while avoiding eye contact. Not an easy feat. Especially when the guy starts off dinner conversation with:

"You leave for the Job Centre and don't come back until dinner…" he began, pointing his chop sticks at her, a satisfied smile on his lips. "Now that's diligence. You found yourself some work, didn't you?"

Rin looked down at her red knuckles. "I…well, I uh-"

"She was out fighting again, of course," Yukio supplied. "She's injured."

_You traitor! _Rin thought as she had to dodge the resulting onslaught of chopsticks that came her way from across the table.

"What?!" the older priest practically yelled at her. "Why do you keep getting in these fights?! How many times have I told you to think with your head, not your fists? You idiot!"

"Like you're one to talk," Rin rebutted halfheartedly, covering her head from the barrage of eating utensils. "I can handle myself, you know."

The old man shook his head and sat back down, withdrew a slip of paper from his pocket, and passed it down to her. Rin almost didn't want to open it, but did, and groaned at what it said.

"…the heck is this?"

She dodged another chopstick. "A friend of mine who owns a traditional restaurant is looking for a new hand in the kitchen. You have an interview tomorrow afternoon."

If her jaw was long enough, it would have hit the table. "What? _Seriously_? Me, in a kitchen? You know I-"

"I know that cooking is one for your stronger points. It's perfect."

A sense of foreboding swelled in her stomach. She did like cooking- she knew she could do it right. But in a restaurant? She…would just screw it up somehow. Things always went wrong, no matter how good they seemed at first. There was always something that would get her fired. She'd see something weird out of the corner of her eye and let something burn, or get in a fight with an obnoxious customer, or end up breaking something on accident.

"I can't handle a respectable job like that…" Rin looked away. "…I know myself too well…"

"Idiot!" Rin jumped in her chair. "You have almost no qualifications- you can't sit around picking and choosing! As your legal guardian, I have the responsibility to raise you into responsible adults! Do you really not understand? You can't stay here forever, coming home beat up and expecting a hot meal. Some day, you'll have to go out on your own-!"

"You think I don't know that…?" Something in Rin sparked- both physically and metaphorically. Anger creased her brow- and she stood up, slammed her hands down on the table, and replied, _"'Course I know that!"_

The nearby stove exploded in a sudden surge of flames, knocking it over. Fortunately, nothing caught fire, but that didn't stop it from scaring the crap out of her. No one else seemed nearly as surprised, but if she had been paying closer attention, she would have seen her "legal guardian's" eyes harden.

Amongst the not-too rushed-rush to clean things up, one of the younger priests said to her old man, "Father Fujimoto. Someone's at the door to see you."

He nodded, stood and began walking off, but not before saying, "Yukio! Treat Rin's injuries for her, won't you?"

"…right," Yukio replied lamely, having just watched the scene play out before him in silence. The same hardness had appeared in eyes at the same time as Fujimoto's, along with an ample about of cautious concern.

Once everything was cleaned, Rin found herself sitting on the table, and Yukio in a chair beside her, applying an alcohol swab to her hands. She still winched at the unpleasant feeling of the disinfectant, even though she should have been more than used to the treatment.

She tried not to sigh. _What a mess. _

Rin hated seeing the old man like that. She wished she was some ignorant jerkoff that lacked any empathy, because then she wouldn't know that when he yelled at her, it was really out of concern. Concern that she wouldn't amount to anything. Concern that she would one day pick a fight with the wrong person and end up in the hospital or a body bag. Concern that she would never be able to support herself once he was gone.

The latter of which was far off, Rin mused with a tiny smile. The old man was so stubborn he'd probably live until she was fifty and then nag her as a ghost about her bad habits still.

And it wasn't like she didn't want to try to get a job- but it was better for everyone if she didn't. Less property damage that way. Less angry people that way. Less people seeing her as something…horrible. Bad. A…demon.

Yukio finished putting a bandage on a cut below her eye she hadn't noticed before. "Who did this to you?"

Rin shrugged. "Just some assholes who deserved what was coming."

Yukio looked like he was going to get upset at her nonchalant attitude, but then seemed to think better of it, and simply lowered her head. "You can't keep doing this."

"I gave better than I got," she said, and tried to give him a reassuring smile. Rin didn't understand Yukio's frustration- he knew she could give a lot in fight. She defended _him_ always. She _was_ his _older_ sister, after all.

Rin decided not to let the subject weigh down their conversation any more than it already had.

"So…when do you start at True Cross again?"

"Soon."

"True Cross Academy…" Rin whistled. "That place is supposed to be super elite. I always knew you were awesome, Yukio, but it looks like you're better than even I thought!" She smiled. "I'm proud to call you my brother. I _know_ you can do it."

Yukio smiled warmly at her. "…I'll try my best."

Rin liked these kinds of moments; where she got to actually act like the older sibling she was. She held up her expertly bandaged hand. "And look! You're already great at all this medical stuff!"

Yukio faltered. "Only because you're so good at getting in fights…"

Rin chuckled nervously at that but Yukio continued. "Are you going to that interview tomorrow?"

"I…I don't know. It's not like I don't care. I do. But…I just don't want to mess things up again," she sighed. "I'm just one big screw-up, remember?"

"You know that's not true. I'm just concerned. So is father." Yukio looked her in the eyes, and Rin couldn't help but feel like she had to do something.

"Yeah…" Rin got off the table and straightened herself up. "I…I'll go. I'll go to the interview. Who knows? Maybe I'll win them over with the good ol' feminine charms?"

Yukio did something between a laugh, a choking sound, and a snort, and then tried to cover it all up under a cough. Rin laughed and went to bed shortly after, the memory of her fight with the albino and his gang all but gone, replaced with the thoughts of her interview swimming around in her head.

* * *

Rin hated dresses. They were inconvenient to move in and made her legs itch.

But she also wanted to give this interview her best shot- and someone had none-too-subtlety dropped the hint that she should wear one by hanging one on her doorknob over night, complete with matching earrings and flats.

Deciding not to do things halfway, Rin tried her best to do her hair. Her hair was long, having grown out past her shoulders over the summer, and tended to tangle and matt easily. After an epic battle between her bedhead and a steel comb brush that lasted half an hour, her hair was smooth enough to run fingers through. The dress was simple, casual, and black. As were the flats.

Unfortunately, the back zipper just wouldn't stay up.

She stood outside the monastery, her interview time drawing closer and closer, as she kept trying to reach her zipper and failing. Miserably.

"This is stupid. I'm grabbing a jacket-"

"Thank you very much, Father."

Rin stopped short of the door when she heard voices from the monastery's entrance. She turned the corner and stopped at seeing Fujimoto giving a little girl and her family a charm in a bottle.

"It's no problem," he replied, patting the girl on the head. "It's a four leaved clover charm. Keep it close, and it should ward off demons."

While she watched the old man send the family off with a wave, something buzzed in the corner of her vision. She turned, and just managed to see it before it blinked out of existence: a black, flying…thing. It looking like a bug, but was too big to be anything normal. She stared at the space where it had been for a second, but got distracted when her dress began to slip.

She strode toward her guardian, shaking her head. "You can't ward off things that don't exist. What you're doing is basically just counseling, right?"

"Of course demons exist. They're in our hearts." Fujimoto glanced at her, and smiled. "Ah, I see you got the outfit we picked for you!"

"Shut it, old man. The stupid thing won't even stay up right." Rin blushed. "I mean…I'm supposed to look more respectable in these sort of clothes or whatever. I guess."

"You look beautiful," he said warmly. "Want some help?"

She looked away and blushed harder, before turning around so he could zip her up correctly. He pushed her hair over her shoulder and in a single tug snapped the zipper into place.

"You might look grown up, but you're still a little girl on the inside."

If anyone else had called her that, they'd be missing a few teeth. When her old man said it, she just felt more blood creep into her cheeks. It was basically a parent- no, a _guardian's_ job to embarrass their kids.

The priest continued, a strange smile on his lips. "I remember when you wore dresses every day to school. You'd rip them and get them dirty, but still managed to look cute no matter what. That was way back when you'd call me "Daddy!" every time you saw me…"

"What are you talking about? I'm not cute!" Rin turned back around, and tried her best to cover her face with one hand. "I'm fifteen now, you old geezer. I'm almost an adult."

"An adult?! Where? I don't see any adults around here!"

Rin's brow twitched. "Oh, like you're any better!"

Fujimoto laughed and ruffled her hair. "Why don't you show me just how adult you can be then?"

"I-I'll show you! You just watch, I'm going to nail this stupid interview so all of you will get off my back!"

"Just be back before it get's dark this time, alright?"

"Yeah, yeah," Rin hummed, huffing away, her beat red face obscured by her hair, and her steps looking a little awkward in her flats. "Stupid shoes…stupid dress…who _chooses_ to wear these things …?"

Fujimoto watched her go, but all amusement in his features dropped as he snatched what looked like a large, black bug from the air, his eyes widening in recognition.

"Astaroh…"

* * *

_Have I gone crazy?_

Rin knew she had to be seeing things.

The little black bug things were swarming the air, but no one seemed to even notice them. Had she missed something? People were just going about their business, not even giving the things a second glance. Rin was about halfway to her interview, trying to ignore the crazy looks she was getting when she started waving the things away from her face, when a familiar voice reached her years.

"Haha, look who it is! Okumura-chan~!"

_Okumura-what? _Rin turned to see the albino and his gang from the pervious day, all bandaged up, and their leader smirking like a-

She nearly fell over at the sight of the guy. His head had…horns. Freaking…_horns_. And little black bugs seemed to be circling around his head, almost like they were coming off him, and his ears were…she blinked. His ears were _pointed_. Rin didn't know what to think.

_Is he cosplaying? It looks really…real. _That was the only explanation that made any sense.

He smirked. "Sorry about yesterday, yeah? You weren't hurt or anything, were you?"

Rin didn't know why, but she scowled. Why was he being so nice? She reached up to the cut Yukio had bandaged under her eye. "No."

"Good. Good, you see, we weren't really thinking straight yesterday. We wanted to apologize," his voice had a weird…_filthy_ quality to it that Rin couldn't place, but it made her skin want to crawl. It seemed familiar, even though she was sure she hadn't heard it before. "So…do you have a moment to talk?"

"I guess…" she replied cautiously. She wrapped her hands around her bare arms and followed them into a wide alley. She wasn't nervous. No. Of course not. She could beat them up again if they tried anything.

…right?

"So, Okumura-chan…" Reiji began. "How much do you want?"

"What?"

He rolled his eyes. "I know you're not stupid. Do I have to spell it out for you? My parents are kinda important, and if word got out about what I was doing yesterday…you can imagine what would happen, right? I'm going to be attending True Cross Academy soon, and rumors like that wouldn't do either of us any good."

"You're going to the same school as Yukio? Oh. _Oh_, I see," Rin gave him a level look. "Nobody would want to take in a much of idiots who think its fun to torture birds."

Something in Reiji's face twitched. "Yeah, so how much do you want? I'm going to pay you to keep this to your pretty little self."

"I don't want your money," she scowled. "I don't plan to tell anyone. If that's all you had to say, I have someplace to get to-"

"Hey, hey, hey! What's with the tough girl act?" he called after her. "Ha! I get it. There's no need to hide it. You're too poor to even afford a proper education, arent'cha?"

Rin stopped dead in her tracks.

"Just take the money! I mean, your bother _Yukio_," he pressed, waving yen in the air. "I know him. He had to work his ass off just to get a scholarship, didn't he, _Rin-chan_? You're entire family is, like, in complete debt! You can put this toward those fees-"

The same spark in her chest flared to life, but ten times stronger. She couldn't even remember moving- just her fist connecting with Reiji's jaw, not even bothering to hold back her strength. He hit the floor and skid for a least a yard.

"Don't you _**ever**_," she hissed. "Say _**anything**_ about my brother, asshole. You can say whatever you want about me, but _don't you dare insult Yukio!_"

"That…that hurt," Reiji stood, grasping his face. "Don't get cocky, you filthy little peasant! Get her! Now!"

Before she could even react, three of the gang members had a hold of her arms and forced her to the ground. Her dress slipped and snagged on the concrete, revealing more skin than it should have.

"Be careful, you idiots!" Reiji snapped, and picked up a piece of paper from the ground that she had dropped. "Oh, a job interview? That's why you're all dressed up? Ha! Looking like that, I can think of a few jobs you could be good at."

Rin wanted to snap back, but was too stunned at the look in the albino's eye. The guy was crazy- and really, _really_ dangerous. He wasn't just some rich punk. The filthy quality to his voice was even more pronounced, and Rin suddenly felt very trapped.

Reiji grasped her chin so she looked him in the eye, dragging another hand through her hair. "I don't think I like that pretty face. When you get down to it, peasants like you are just the scum of the earth, and you should look the part!"

Rin saw a gleam of metal and suddenly there was a knife very close to her face. He yanked back on her hair hard enough to make her yelp, and he chuckled darkly at her, eyes gleaming.

One of the gang members spoke up. "Uh, boss? I don't think we should-"

"Shut up!" Reiji didn't even look at the guy before slashing the member across his face. He let out a cry of pain and fell over in tears.

"Now, don't get too upset if I make too many cuts! After all, I'm just an amateur!"

Rin couldn't think. She was going to- she was actually going to get _killed_. The guy was insane. He was going to kill her.

She couldn't die. She couldn't, not now, not by this bastard-!

"**STOP!"**

Everything erupted in blue flame.

The weight on her body disappeared as the guys holding her were flung against the alley walls with enough force to knock them out. Flames covered her hands, but they weren't burning her like normal fire. Rin stared, scared, dumbstruck, and very confused at herself.

_What the hell just happened?_

"Heh…heh…heh..ahahaAHAHAH!" Reiji's laugh echoed around her. "I knew I was right about you! Finally!"

Rin sat up and covered herself, holding herself tightly. Reiji knelt down directly in front of her, his finger nails were now long and pointed, the horns on his head were more sharp and dark, and the black bugs in the air around him had quadrupled in number.

"Those blue flames are the real thing," he grinned at her. "They're His flames. Oh, how I've waited for this day! Everyone had been searching, but none longer than I. It's an honor to meet you, milady."

He bowed low, one hand across his chest, and another outstretched toward her. "Let us set forth, Satan-sama awaits us!"

"S-Satan?"

Reiji reached out to grab her, but stopped dead at the sound of approaching footsteps.

"…evil dwells within this heart," Rin recognized the voice instantly. "Oh Lord, let each be judge according to his deeds. Let sinful conduct beget retribution. Let each pay for that which he has taken…"

Rin looked over her shoulder, and Reiji looked murderous.

"Old Man…?"

"And exorcist? Here?! _Now_?!"

"Bring down thy justice upon them," Fujimoto continued, undeterred. "Smite them that they never rise again. Blessed be the Lord!"

"Damnit!" Reiji charged toward the priest in a rage. "I won't let you stop me, exorcist! She is mine to take! I'll rip that mouth off your face, you accursed bastard!"

Rin watched, awestruck, as he old man not only dodged the blow, but grabbed the teen's arm and swung him to the ground. "My prayer has been answered. The Lord is my helper, and he is my shield! Demon- _perish where you stand_!"

Black bugs erupted from the albino's mouth, disintegrating into the air in an instant. All traces of demonic features on the guy were instantly gone, leaving him unconscious on the ground.

Rin didn't know what to do. Her mind couldn't keep up with what was happening. Fujimoto looked at her, and asked, very evenly, "Have you calmed down?"

She looked down at herself. The blue flames were gone. "Is he…is he going to be alright?"

Fujimoto looked at the unconscious gang leader. "He's fine. I exorcised the demon out of him. It appears he was only recently processed." He frowned. "However, demons only possess those most similar to them. If this boy does not change, it is likely he'll be used again."

"Demons?" Rin said, shakily standing.

Fujimoto sighed. "It appears your powers cannot be entirely suppressed any longer by Kurikara. I was afraid of this," he waved his hand toward remaining black bugs in the sky. "I suppose you can see them now?"

"These things are demons?!"

"Small ones," Fujimoto went on to briefly explain something about two worlds, one where mortals lived and another with demons. Rin was too confused to make much sense of any of it. All she knew was that suddenly there were people after her with weird powers, and she was some kind of…kind of…

"That doesn't matter right know. We need to get you somewhere safe- no doubt they'll know where you are after your awakening. Come on!" He grabbed Rin by the arm and tugged her forward, but she defiantly dug her heels into the ground.

"Wait! Hiding? From more of those things? What-?" She shook her head, hair falling to her shoulders. "What am I?"

"You…" Fugimoto couldn't look at her. "You are the daughter of Satan himself, born from a human, and cursed with his powers."

* * *

**(A/N): **Dear God, this took forever. Part 2 will be up soon, I promise. Also, I'm following the manga canon here, so you might want to read that before we get too into this.

And yes, I'm going to be writing slight Yukio/Rin undertones in this, but it will be nothing overt (unless you guys _want _to see it- there may be a poll in the future) and Rin will have a very close platonic relationship with Shiemi. There might be Bon/Rin. I don't know yet.

If you liked this, drop me a line! I really want to see if anyone is interested in me continuing this, and what you want to see happen in this story. SO REVIEW.

please


	2. Chapter 2

Blue Jay

Chapter 02: Family Reunion Pt. 2

* * *

Somehow, they made it back to the monastery.

Rin didn't remember walking- everything was a blur.

How could…_any_ of this stuff be happening? Everything had been perfectly normal- more than normal- just an hour ago, and now she was being told demons were real and out for her head? That her old man was an exorcist? That there was a parallel world of hellish monsters just out of sight? She couldn't process any of it. Everything was happening too fast.

The monastery was strangely quiet. Yukio was gone, along with the other priests. They were alone.

"Here," Fujimoto said hurriedly, unlocking an ornate cabinet Rin had only ever seen gather dust her entire life. He withdrew a long katana, still in its sheath, from one of the drawers and handed it to her.

"This is Kurikara- the demon-slaying blade. It's been passed through many hands since time immemorial," he explained quickly. "Your powers have been transferred into this sword and sealed by its scabbard. If you draw it," he grasped her hand holding Kurikara in his, looking her dead in the eye. "Then you will return to your demon form. And, most likely, never be able to live a human life."

Rin's throat went dry. Fujimoto let her hand go. "Never draw it."

"W-Wait a sec-"

The older priest ignored her, in favor of handing her a small key and cell phone. "But keep it by your side at all times- when you're safe, you can hide it again. Once you leave the monastery, call the number on the phone- there's only one. The man on the other end should give you protection. He's a friend of mine."

Rin fumbled the phone and sword in her hands dumbly. "W-What-?"

"You won't be able to live as you have ever again, but he should help. Now go! Get someplace safe-!"

Confusion and rage bubbled out of her before she could stop it. She threw the sword and phone on the ground. "Screw that! I'm not going anywhere until I know just what the hell is going on!"

"Rin!" Fujimoto said sharply, eyes flickering around the monastery, as if waiting for something to jump them any second.

"No, shut up!" she snarled. "What are you talking about, me being a demon? What about Yukio?"

"You were fraternal twins, but Yukio was too weak to inherit any powers. They passed onto you alone," Fujimoto explained, exasperated.

"But…why didn't you _tell_ me?" Rin asked, her voice cracking.

The priest looked away. "I wanted you to live a normal life. And you could, so long as you remained an ordinary human."

_Ordinary?_ Rin felt fear and rage over come her senses. All this time, she'd been some sort of monster, and her fathe- no, _guardian_, had been lying to her her entire life? Everything he ever told her about what she was, and reassured her of what she wasn't- it was all lies?

_Everything?_

"Wait, is that what all this interview crap was about? Your "friend" is probably some exorcist too, isn't he? At the restaurant? You wanted to get rid of me, didn't you?" she laughed dryly, and her eyes stung.

"That was for your protection-!"

"Sure. Protection. Why stop lying now? It's not like I'm smart enough to tell the difference," she coughed, words just spilling out of mouth without a thought. "I'm just some screw up random kid. Not like Yukio- I cause nothing but trouble. I've just been this big mess-up you've been dealing with, and you want me gone. You don't want to play dad anymore!"

Fujimoto stayed silent, watching her, an unreadable expression on his face.

"Admit it!" she was yelling at this point, and took a step toward him. "I…!"

Rin clenched her fists. _"Don't you ever act like you're my father ever again!"_

Something broke in Fujimoto's eyes and- _**Slap!**_

Rin stood, blankly, hollow, her cheek stinging. The priest slowly lowered his hand, shaking ever so slightly. Gingerly, she touched the side of her face, all her anger suddenly leaving her feeling…tired.

"We don't have time for petty arguments," he said, but his voice sounded like she'd said something anything but petty. "Just do as you're told!"

Rin looked away. "…fine."

She leaned over, her hair obscuring her face, and picked up both the sword and phone from where she'd thrown them. There was a brief silence as she stood and turned her back to him, she legs suddenly very heavy, when-

Fujimoto gasped and doubled over in pain. Rin instantly spun around to see him shaking, and seemingly struggling to breathe.

"….what's wrong?" she asked, and when he continued to shake, she was on her knees beside him, reaching out to his shoulder. "What's-?"

"Get back!" he shouted at her, pushing her away weakly. She complied, mostly because she had never, ever seen him look so-

-scared?

"Get away, Rin!" he said desperately, grasping his chest. _"To think that now, of all times…!"_ he cursed under his breath. "Get away from me!"

The small, selfish part of her wanted to scoff- she was right, he wanted her gone. But everything else was telling her something wasn't right- and that she wasn't going to start listening to his orders now. She took a step toward him.

"I'm not just going to leave you," she began, but stopped dead when the priest suddenly stopped shaking, his head down and face obscured. She got down to his level, awkwardly moving because of the dress she was still in. "Get a hold of yourself-"

And then the old man looked up and met her eyes.

"…_**my dear little daughter…"**_

Except the eyes she saw weren't even human anymore.

"_**Oh, I've been looking forward to this moment!"**_

Blue flames erupted around them. Rin fell back on her hands, Kurikara falling to the floor beside her. Her old man- no, the thing that _looked like him_- with sharp teeth and pointed ears, fingernails suddenly like black claws, and eyes wild with power- laughed hysterically, his voice a horribly distorted parody of the one Rin knew and loved.

"_**GRAHHHAHAHAH!" **_he laughed. _**"Look at you, all grown up! How ya doing'? That's right, the big guy himself has come all the way out here just to see you! Don't you feel special? All your brothers are going to be jealous!" **_

Rin backed herself up until her shoulder hit the wall, terrified. "Y-You're…"

Blood spilled from every crevasse of Fujimoto's face- from his eyes, ears, mouth and nose. _**"The name's Satan, god of all demons. But you can call me "Daddy" if you want!"**_

"_**I'd love to stay and chat, catch up on lost bonding time, but it looks like this body won't last much longer," **_Satan said offhandedly, tearing off a few of Fujimoto's fingers like toothpicks. Rin felt bile rise up in her throat as he discarded the appendages over his shoulder. _**"Ah well. We'll have plenty of time to talk back home, won't we?"**_

Satan spilt some of Fujimoto's blood onto the ground, and it began to take the shape of a large doorway. He began chanting something in a language Rin couldn't understand, and the blood took shape of a giant gate. _**"I'm the only demon that can open gates to Gehenna like this."**_

Rin shakily got to her feet, staring wide-eyed at the demonic doorway on the floor, and then over at Satan. Fujimoto's body was breaking apart every second, more blood coating his features than ever, but the demon didn't seem to mind.

"_**Let's go, kiddo," **_Satan took a step toward Rin, but stopped at the sight of Kurikara on the ground. He picked it up like a piece of trash, smirking. _**"But I guess I have to destroy this first- so you'll be free of that stupid curse binding you." **_He rolled his eyes and started toward her again. _**"You look too much like your mother in that pathetic form."**_

Maybe it was the mention of her mother- or maybe she'd just gotten sick of watching the demon walk around like he knew her- but Rin snapped, blue flames coated her own body. **"GET AWAY FROM ME!"**

Stana blinked, amused. _**"What was that suppose to be? Were you trying to impress me? That was pretty shitty impersonation of your dear old dad. No problem, once you're a full demon, you won't be nearly as pathetic."**_

Rin tried to get away, but Satan grabbed a fistful of her hair and slammed her to the ground, before dragging her across the floor. _"Let go of me! I'm human-!"_

Rin caught sight of her reflection in a window pane across the room. Her pupils were like balls of fire and her teeth were slightly sharp. The tips of pointed ears poked out from under her hair, and her body was covered in patches of withering blue flames. Dark, sharp nails dug into the wooden floor as she tried to claw away from the demon dragging her.

_That's…me?_

"_**You know," **_Satan said, snapping her attention back to him. _**"I'm a perfect entity with all the power I could possibly want. But there's one thing I can't get. Do you know what that is?**_" he glanced down at her, sharp teeth coated in blood. _**"A vessel in Assiah powerful enough to contain me! Everything I inhibit in this world dies too quickly. Just like your mother. Just like this body. It's falling to pieces and he's suppose to be the most powerful exorcist in the world!"**_

Satan grabbed her arm and thrust her into the gate before she could react, and instantly began sinking into it.

"_**It's Assiah I want," **_he said, stepping into the gate as well. _**"Oh, I was just bored when I decided to make you- but since your birth, I realized it was a masterstroke. I would have preferred you to be my son, but I can make due with a girl. Hell, I've got too many sons already. You exist with my powers within Assiah peacefully. You're exactly what I needed all along!"**_

Rin couldn't believe any of this. The gate was swallowing her whole, and she knew she had to do something- anything.

"Help!" she screamed, hoping someone would hear her. "Anyone! _Help me!"_

"_**Such lovely screams! You really do remind so much of **_**her**_**,"**_ Satan laughed wildly. _**"You'll love it back home! Welcome to Gehenna~!"**_

"Somebody! Anybody!" Rin screamed herself hoarse.

"_HELP ME!"_

She shut her eyes, preparing for the worst, when-

"_**What-?" **_Satan jerked strangely, falling down on his hands and knees. _**"What's happening-?"**_

Fujimoto's arm jerked out, gabbed a hold of the pendant Rin had always seen the old man wear, and stab himself in the chest.

Satan coughed up blood. _**"Damn you, exorcist!"**_

And then a voice, a voice Rin had thought she'd never hear again, graced her ears.

"That girl is _my_ daughter- and I'm taking her back!"

Satan collapsed in front of Rin, laughing. _**"You mean to kill yourself? What a dutiful priest you are. But you're too late! Once the gate takes hold, only I can release it! So…what do you plan to do now, exorcist?"**_

Rin didn't know how, but after that, she knew Satan was no longer in the room- or even the same realm- but she didn't even have time to care.

"Old Man!" she cried desperately, grabbing him before he could sink any lower into the gate. She tried to get out herself, but she felt like she was moving in tar.

"Help! Please!" she yelled. "Help!"

Rin looked around, and caught sight of Kurikara, sticking upright out of the gate.

A split-second decision graced her mind.

(_**"I'm the only demon that can open gates to Gehenna like this."**_)

("Your powers have been transferred into this sword and sealed by its scabbard.")

Rin reached out, her finger tips brushing the katana's grip.

("If you draw it, then you will return to your demon form. And, most likely, never be able to live a human life.")

She clutched it tightly, one arm around Fujimoto's limp body.

("Don't ever draw it.")

"I'm sorry."

She pulled the sword free of the scabbard, and felt something akin of pure, undiluted power rip through her body. For a moment, all she could see was white, and a bestial, inhuman roar erupted from her throat. Her body was abuzz, and she sprang to her feet, blue fames covering her body.

"_Don't you dare die on me!"_

Rin rushed forward and slashed downward, cutting the gateway- causing it to burst into flames. It disintegrated instantly, leaving Rin panting, blood rushing with something more addictive than adrenalin. She wanted to _kill_ something. She wanted to _rip_ all the disgusting humans who had ever made her life miserable to _shreds_- nothing could stand her _way-_

She brushed something with her foot. Snarling, she looked down, ready to burn it away and saw-

And saw…

The body of Father Fujimoto.

The power drained from her system as quickly as it came.

She knees shook and collapsed beneath her, leaving her to rely on Kurikara for support. Something wrapped itself around her torso- a long, black tail, she noticed with hardly any interest. She looked down at herself, shaking, and let Kurikara drop to the ground. Rin threw herself on the priest's chest, sobbing. His blood strained her bare arms, still dripping freely from his face.

Fujimoto was dead.

Her old man was dead.

Her…father was dead.

Tears fell unrestrained from her eyes and down her cheeks. _"Dad…!"_

* * *

Rin stayed there, crying, even after people began to arrive.

The other priests, people she didn't recognize in black coats, and some normal police- they all flooded the monastery mere minutes after the entire ordeal. Time passed and she didn't move. She felt like if she did, everything would have to be real.

Eventually, minutes or hours of staying still, someone wrapped a blanket over shoulders and lifted her to her feet. She almost collapsed, but stayed up right. She was lead to her room, and the same person dropped Kurikara by her bedside before leaving her alone.

If Rin thought hard enough, she could remember the person having glasses, and nothing else.

* * *

**(A/N)**: Two things: one, this chapter is not beta'd.

Two, I cut this chapter short just to get it out of the way. And yes, I'm sorry if this was immensely boring because all I did was shamelessly rehash canon events- BUT, when I thought about it, Rin as a girl wouldn't behave too differently than her counterpart in the beginning bits.

But have faith- things will be getting interesting come next chapter. Oh, and it seems people want to see Yukio/Rin. Thoughts? I kinda like the idea of Bon/Rin, but it's up to you guys.


	3. Chapter 3

Blue Jay

Chapter 03: Of Brothers

* * *

It was raining.

The funeral was a quiet affair- most of the people who came Rin didn't recognize. They offered all of their condolences to Yukio, because she wasn't going out her way to friendly. Mourners had umbrellas, socializing solemnly far away from her, as she looked down at her father's grave stone. She traced it's cold stone with her fingers as the light rain made her hair tangle. The longer she stood around, it stuck to her neck and cheeks, raindrops disguising anything that might have fallen from her eyes.

Kurikara was slung over her shoulder. She gripped it lightly, shifting its weight back and forth as the wind blew her black dress pants open and around her ankles.

After what seemed like hours of standing- deciding, reflecting, whatever- the fifteen year-old withdrew a cell phone from her pocket, and flicked it open. There was only one number.

Rin took a deep breath, dialed it and held the receiver to her ear. It rang four times and-

In a flash, she was surrounded. Men in familiar black coats and face masks stood tense around her, anxiousness and hatred present in all their eyes. Some had guns drawn. Others swords and daggers.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Okumura Rin-chan," a ringing voice answered in her ear- and behind her.

She turned, slowly, to face probably the strangest man she'd ever set eyes on. He looked like something out of a circus- a ringmaster- dressed in white and patchwork patterns, carrying an umbrella in one hand and overly-charmed cell phone in his other. Rin caught sight of pointed ears just below his top heat, signaling that he was much more than just some random, teleporting weirdo.

"My name is Mephisto Pheles," he said with a bit of flare, smirking. "A friend of Father Fujimoto. You have my upmost sympathies for what's happened."

The lie was thinner than wet tissue paper in Rin's ears, but she couldn't work up the energy to get angry. She looked at him dead on. "Are you people exorcists?"

"Of course," he replied, leaning against a headstone. "We're known as the True Cross Order."

Rin glanced down at her father's grave. "…he said you'd offer me protection."

"Ah, yes," Mephisto hummed casually, shrugging a bit. "Well, I'm afraid that as my position as an honorary knight, I can't afford to mix business with person interests. My hands are tied."

Rin clutched Kurikara's grip a little tighter. Mephisto smirked.

"You're a child of Satan, and therefore must be killed before you can become a threat to humanity," he said simply, as if talking about the weather. "If it makes you feel any better, you're the only known daughter of Satan to ever exist. So you have that."

He pushed himself off the headstone and held two fingers in the air. "From where you're standing, Rin-chan, you have two options. One, allow us to kill you…"

The men in black coats tensed.

"…or two, you can kill us and flee," he paused. "Though you always have option three: suicide. I'm sure any of my associates would be willing to share a bullet or two. So…what would you prefer?"

Mephisto looked at her, clearly expected her to choke or run- maybe even plea for mercy. But instead she looked him dead in the eyes and said, in a very clear tone,

"Let me join you," Rin brushed any hair from her eyes so he could see she was serious. "I don't care why you people say- I only have one father, and he sure as hell wasn't Satan. There's no way I'm related to that demon!"

Mephisto's eyes widened- and then he smiled. The man stepped toward her, closing the distance between them. "And what would you do? What would you do if you became an exorcist?"

She stepped forward, demonic nature sharpening her features for a split second. "Kick Satan's ass!"

There was a moment of silence, Rin waiting for some kind of reaction- and Mephisto broke out laughing. Hysterically.

"W-What the hell are you laughing at?!"

"GRAHAHAH…AHaha…ahahhah…" the odd man wiped tears from his eyes. "Oh, I haven't laughed like that in _ages_."

"What's so damn funny?!" Rin blushed, furious. "If anyone here should be laughed at, i-it's you and your stupid outfit!"

Mephisto twirled his umbrella, looking down at her. "You must be joking, Rin-chan."

"Oh, I'm _not_," she challenged.

"Well then…" he looked around at the exorcists surrounding the area, opened his mouth- and everyone tensed, Rin knowing he was probably about to sick them on her, and the exorcists gearing up to fight, when-

"Okay! I like it!"

"What?!"

Rin and everyone else nearly fell flat on their faces.

"S-Sir Pheles, you can't be serious-!"

"Really-?" Rin asked dumbly.

"Really," he said, stepping way too close in her personal bubble. "Though becoming an exorcist won't be easy. You're going to have a harder time than anyone. In fact, you're more than likely to be killed trying," he smiled. "Do you _really_ want to go through with it?"

She refused to back away. "I'm not a demon or human anymore. An exorcist is the one thing I can be. I _will_ be an exorcist and I _will_ defeat Satan if it's _the last thing I do_."

* * *

And that was that. Two days later, and Rin Okumura was officially enrolled in True Cross Academy.

She packed up everything she owned and stood outside Southern Cross Monastery- the warm morning sun tanning her arms, wearing just a t-shirt and jeans- waiting for Mephisto to pick her up. She hadn't slept the night before; her hair was mess, so she wrestled it into a low pony tail that brushed the back of her neck. Bits of her bangs that always refused to cooperate hung in her eyes. Her pointed ears were in full view- not that she cared. Apparently, they were a common trait. Mephisto had said her teeth and ears weren't a big deal- it was her flames she had to worry about.

_Satan's_ flames. She closed her eyes. Everything was so crazy compared to just about a week ago. She wasn't ever going to come home, late or beat up from a fight, and get an earful from her old man ever again. There weren't going to be anymore family dinners with all the priests. Getting a job was now so far down on her priority list it threatened to hit the center of the earth. Rin was still reeling.

"My, what a pleasant day!" Rin's eyes snapped out and she jumped back, Mephstio suddenly by her side, looking up at the clear sky. "A bright blue sky is a fitting sendoff for the start of your new life, isn't it?"

"Don't do that!" Rin snapped, clutching her chest. "Haven't you ever heard of a simple 'hello'?"

"Where's the fun in that?"

"It's not about-" Rin stopped, knowing a wasted effort when she saw one. "How did you get here? Are we walking, or- AH!"

A limousine- a _bright_, _florescent_ _**pink**_ limousine- swerved around the corner and parked directly in front of them, the driver honking twice for them to get in.

_I'm going to die of a heart-attack before any demons get the chance, _she thought numbly, her heart pounding in her chest. "You're kidding, right?"

He peered down at her. "I haven't the slightest idea what you're talking about."

A few of the priests from Southern Cross helped her load things into the truck, one giving Mephisto a look before returning inside. "You better take care of her, Faust-san."

Mephisto chuckled. "Of course."

Rin blinked. "Faust? I thought your name was Mephisto."

"Oh, it is. But in public, I'm better known as Johann Faust the Fifth…" he replied. "…chairmen of True Cross Private Academy."

"Wait a sec- that's the same place Yukio-"

"Good morning!" Rin spun around to her little brother, carrying his own assortments of luggage walking toward them. "I guess I'm a little late, aren't I?"

"Y-Yukio?" Rin blinked rapidly, brushing her bangs from her face, looking between Mephisto and Yukio. "What are you-? What's going on?"

"It's weird seeing you up so early," her brother smiled. "Apparently, father arranged for the chairmen to care for us if anything happened to him. Isn't that strange? I never thought I'd be able to attend the same school as you, Onee-san."

"Y-Yeah, definitely weird," Rin's face twitched. _More like _me_ never attend the same school as _you_, _she though numbly- whist glaring at Mephisto, who's smirk clearly said he'd known about this.

She then grabbed the ringmaster-creep by the collar and wheeled him around, pulling him down to her level, and whispered rather loudly, "What the hell is going on? I said I wanted to be an exorcist- I never agreed to go to some school!"

"Shhh, keep it down," Mephisto put a finger to his lips. "You can't reach the top without a little studying first. Besides, aren't you happy you get spend more time with your brother?"

She snarled. "Well, _yeah_, of course, but-"

"Moving right along!" Mephisto twirled her back around and wrapped an arm over her shoulders. "True Cross is a boarding school, so you two won't be able to leave without express permission once you enter. Have you both said your goodbyes to this place?"

Yukio nodded, moving to put his things and get in the car, not giving Rin a second glance. She looked at him for a moment, and then nodded as well, before piling in behind Mephisto.

* * *

The ride to True Cross had Rin agonizing in her seat.

Her brother sat no less than a few feet away, and she couldn't work up the nerve to talk to him. The instant they started driving, he'd withdrawn a book and started reading.

Rin hadn't spoken two words to Yukio about what happened- about their old man, about her new…_features_, or anything. Hell, she would have loved for him to snap and just interrogate her already- or ask some basic questions- or- or _something_.

Ever since Fugimoto died, there was suddenly this thick slab of tension between them- and it was killing her. Their only family was each other now. They'd never _not_ spoken to each other for so long. Sure, they'd gotten in fights when they were little, but usually they'd make-up within a day, tops. This barrier between them…it was all kind of _wrong_.

She resolved to do something about it once they were settled in- or hell, as soon as they were out of Mephisto's earshot; the guy kind of crept her out. Maybe she was being paranoid, but she felt like he was _watching_ her.

Rin scowled at Yukio's book, as if it and its inky pages were responsible for her communication issues.

"We're about to arrive," Mephisto said lightly, looking out the window. Rin followed his gaze, and immediately had all but her face pressed up against the window.

True Cross Academy was huge. _No_, Rin thought, _there is no way this place is school._ It was practically a whole other town by itself! The buildings were huge, and stacked on top of each other in what accumulated into one giant, tall, island-like structure.

"_Wow,"_ Rin breathed, grinning.

"The Academy possesses all the academic facilities you could possibly dream of," Mephisto explained. "And forms the center of True Cross Campus Town."

They pulled into the massive structure and parked close to one of the front entrance buildings. "Just go straight ahead into the main auditorium for the matriculation ceremony- if you get lost, just follow everyone else."

Yukio got out first, "Thank you very much."

Rin slung Kurikara over her shoulder and tried to follow suit, but Mephisto grabbed the sword in question and tugged her back inside.

"One moment," Mephisto said. "You're forgetting your uniform, Rin-chan."

Rin scowled. "I'll change inside."

The chairman looked horrified. "You can't set foot on campus looking like that- we have a reputation to uphold."

"And what's that suppose to mean?!"

"She'll meet you inside, Yukio-san," Mephisto waved to her brother, the door slowly shutting. Said brother only sighed and nodded. Rin looked scandalized.

"Yukio- don't you dare-!"

_**-Slam.**_

If looks could kill, the weirdo chairmen would have been chopped to pieces and thrown into a ditch. On Mars. And then spontaneously combusted.

"I'm turning around," Mephisto said, looking all too amused by her, before looking out the opposite window.

Rin almost strangled the man. Almost.

Instead, she let out a low breath and, as quickly as possible, slipped off her outfit and into the True Cross uniform he'd given her a day earlier- which included a skirt. Rin hated skirts. Oh, she thought they looked pretty, and she enjoyed dressing up once and a while, but now she was stuck wearing one _every day_ for the rest of her foreseeable future during her schooling. She. Was not. Happy about it.

"Once the ceremony is over," Mephisto said to her, facing the window. "Wait for me and I'll find you. We'll talk more then."

Rin grunted in reply and left the car.

When she was gone, Mephisto's gaze darkened, his hand covering most of his face. Yes. He had much to prepare for- more than anyone realized.

* * *

She met up with Yukio again just before the ceremony, all her things in hand. He said annoyingly little to her, just pointing out where they could drop off their belongings to be put in their rooms, and commenting he felt a little nervous.

It was only when they got to the main auditorium did she learn why.

"And now, we'd like to invite one of your fellow peers on stage," one of the protractors announced. "Your First-Class Representative, Okumura Yukio!"

"Of course," Yukio replied, getting up from his seat beside her and walking down on stage, again not even looking at her. She would have been upset at her little brother if not for the fact that she was _freaking_ _out_.

"First Rep?" someone beside her whispered to their neighbor. "That's the guy who placed first on the entrance exams, right?"

"Whoa," another person said. "Just how smart is that guy?"

A girl behind Rin giggled to her friend. "Doesn't he look kind of cool?"

"I thought he was going to look really nerdy," her friend said. "We should try talking to him later!"

"No way, I'd be too embarrassed!"

Rin sunk in her seat, dizzy. Her little brother was now not only leagues above her in the smarts department, but a total ladykiller! _AH!_ What kind of bizarre parallel universe had she entered?

"_This is going to end up being the most awkward year ever," _she grimaced, but sat up to listen to his speech. And despite whatever was driving a wedge between them at the moment, she stood up tall and clapped when he was finished, a warm sense of pride overcoming her senses. However she looked at it, that was her little brother up there, top of their class, ready to become whatever he wanted.

It made her happy. Yukio, at least, could live a normal life away from all the demons and exorcist business she was hip-deep in. He deserved to be happy.

Once everyone filtered out of the auditorium, Rin left Yukio alone, letting him get swamped by a group of glowing fangirls who were just dying to ask what classes he was in and what his schedule was. Finding a spot free of other students, she sat down awkwardly on a bench, Kurikara over her shoulder, and let her herself rela-

"Sorry for keeping you waiting~!"

"_AH!"_ Rin jumped a good three feet in the air. Mephisto was suddenly seated next to her, and her heart was trying to force its way up her throat. "Don't _do_ that!"

Mephisto laughed. "You can't afford to let your guard down, Rin-chan."

"Yeah, I'm beginning to notice," she snapped, and faced him. "So what happens now? How do I become an exorcist?"

"Right to the point, I see. Good to see you're still so enthusiastic," he said. "Unfortunately, things must follow proper procedure. So you're going to be attending a cram school."

"Cram school?"

"An _exorcist_ cram school," he clarified, winking at her. "Where you'll begin as a Page, and learn the art of exorcism. Starting the day after tomorrow, you'll begin attending normal academic classes as well. However, exorcism classes begin today. I'll show you the way."

"Okay…" Rin said slowly.

"However!" Mephisto said so suddenly she flinched. "I cannot stress enough how important it is you keep your flames hidden. Under absolutely no circumstances can you reveal yourself- if you do, there will be nothing I can do to save you from whatever punishment might befall your pretty little head."

Rin nodded stiffly.

"I see you've already learned to keep your tail hidden well enough," he continued. "Your ears and teeth are easy enough to explain away- but your flames are not. You must keep them under _strict control_. Understand?"

"I'll do my best," Rin felt her tail, currently wrapped around her chest, quiver slightly at the warning.

"Excellent. Then we can be on our way," he snapped his fingers. "Truthfully, I'm still a little worried about you, so I'll shadow you during your first lesson. Alright? _Eins~ Zwei~ Drei~!_"

And then he turned into a dog.

Right in front of her.

Poof.

"E-Exorcists can do that?" Rin was beyond freaking out anymore.

"No, just me," Mephisto- a freaking dog- said. "Oh- and let me give you this 'key to the school.'"

Rin leaned down, spotting, what else, but a tiny key in Mephisto's mouth, which she took. "A key?"

"Use it in any door and you'll be able to enter the exorcist wing of True Cross. Don't loose it," he added, as an afterthought.

Rin would have been mad about the implication of the statement, but she was a little distracted by how…_cute_…the creep was as a dog. She was sucker for adorable animals. She felt the overwhelming urge to pet him.

"Use it over there," Mephisto pointed a paw to a nearby groundskeeper shack. Curious, Rin turned the key in the lock, and opened the door-

And inside the tiny shack was a humungous hallway that Rin couldn't even see the end of.

"Whoa," she walked inside, looking up at the high ceiling in awe, Mephisto at her heels. He directed her to room 1106, where first-year students were, and she paused outside the door, nerves setting in, before she swallowed thickly, opened the door-

-and was very underwhelmed. The room was large and messy, the wallpaper torn in places and in bad need of a new coat of paint. The room looked neglected, for lack of a better term.

"This way," Mephisto trotted over to a desk and hopped up on the table. Rin followed, doing a quick headcount of her fellow classmates: two girls, and five guys.

"Why the heck are there only eight of us here?" she asked the dog by her side, not noticing how crazy she looked to everyone in the room.

"There aren't very many people who want to be exorcists these days," he explained. "This is actually a relatively large class…"

"I'd hate so see what a normal one looks like- probably a ghost town…" she mumbled, letting Kurikara drop off her shoulder and onto her lap. "So…when's our teacher supposed to-?"

Before she could finish, the door opened. "All right everyone, quiet down."

"That's him now," Mehisto supplemented.

"Take your seats and we can get started," their teacher said with perfect authority. "Our first lesson is about to begin."

Rin blinked.

Then blinked again.

Then pinched the inside of her arm. She must have fallen asleep in the limo and was dreaming; because the "teacher" that just walked in and set down his things down in front of the room looked suspiciously like a certain younger sibling she knew of. A certain younger sibling she knew had no evil twins, because last time she checked, her karma level was firmly in the green.

Alas, she didn't seem to waking up any time soon.

"It's a pleasure to meet you all," he said with a smile. "I will be your teacher in ant-demon pharmacology, Okumura Yukio."

"Yukio?!" Rin was on her feet and had her hands slammed down on her desk.

"Yes, that would be me," he replied lamely, giving her a level look. In fact, it was a near perfect imitation of her _I-don't-know-what-you're-looking-at _look. "Is something wrong?"

"Oh, you mean other than the fact that you're acting like a teacher?" She had to- absolutely _had to_ be dreaming. "What wrong with you?!"

Yukio gave her a very patient smile that Rin could now see was…_fake_. Really _fake_. "I assure you nothing's wrong with me. Now, I would appreciate it if you would refrain from further disruptions for the rest of class."

Rin scowled and looked to the dog- which was now sitting in her lap. "Mephisto, do you know what he's-?"

"Ah, ah, ah," the chairman-turned-dog sniffed. "Using my name without an honorific? I am your superior, you know."

"Ugh!" Rin gave up on the creep. She looked pleadingly at her brother. _What's going on, Yukio? What are you doing?_

"Now," Yukio addressed the class as a whole, which up to that point had been watching the siblings' conversation with mild interest. "As you all can see, I'm the same age as all of you. This is also my first year lecturing. However, I have been studying exorcism for more than two years. As such, while in class, I would prefer if you refereed to me as your teacher."

_T-Two years? _Rin ran her fingers through her hair, feeling lightheaded. The implications of that comment…she didn't even want to think about.

"So, how many of you have already received a mashou?"

Rin was beginning to hate not knowing _anything_ and about _anything_ that was going on. Defeated, she turned to Mephisto, who looked very comfortable in her lap, paws on her desk. She gave into temptation and scratched him behind the ears, which he seemed to appreciate. "What's a mashou?"

He glanced at her. "Mashou refers to an injury or illness sustained from contact with a demon. It allows them to see demons for the rest of their life- they're a natural pre-requisite for any up-and-coming exorcist. Of course…in your case, there's no need. Seeing as you're a demon yourself."

"Yeah, I got that much," she sighed, and watched as more than half the class still needed a mashou.

"Okumura-sensei over there," he continued. "Is the youngest qualified exorcist in the world. He's a genius anti-demon pharmacologist."

Rin felt something in her chest sink. Her brother…her baby brother…she really didn't know _anything_ about him, did she. It was like seeing a stranger across the room.

"As you all probably noticed, this is not a normal classroom- in fact, its home to demons known as goblins. Now there's no need to panic," he added, seeing one of the girls frantically whisper to her friend. "Goblins tend to avoid bright and populated areas. Typically, they're harmless and only cause minor mischief. However," he withdrew a vial from his bag. "When they catch the scent of rotten animal blood, they become agitated and aggressive. I'm going to dilute this and use it to drawn them to us, so everyone can receive their mashou safely. Any questions?"

Any questions?

That made something in Rin snap. _Any questions? __**Any questions?**_ Oh, she had more than a few goddamn questions-

"Now, if everyone will please be patient while I set everything up-"

Rin was out of her seat, across the room and slamming her hands on Yukio's desk in a flash. This fakey-teacher-polite crap was ending, and ending _now_.

"Hey!" she snapped, looking him dead in the eyes.

He looked at her over his glasses, the antithesis of calm- and it _pissed her __**off**__._

"…Yes? What wrong?" he asked. "I'm in the middle of a lesson. Return to your seat, Okumura-san."

_O…Okumura-san? _That. _Was_. _**It**_.

"_Quit screwing around!"_ she practically shouted. "What the hell is up you?!"

Yukio, very deliberately, put down the blood he was working with, and said, in a flat tone, "As I said, I became an exorcist two years ago."

Rin watched him, hoping for some sort of emotion to show on his face, but there was nothing.

"I began my training when I was seven," he said, softer, so only they could hear. "I've been able to see demons ever since I can remember- because I received my mashou from you the day we were born."

Rin couldn't breathe.

"I've always known about demons. You're the only one who never knew," Yukio picked up the blood and walked past her. "Now, will you return to your seat?"

"Then why…" Rin wheeled around and grabbed his arm. _"Why didn't you ever tell me anything?!"_

Yukio flinched and dropped the vial in his hand, splattering the ground in blood. A foul stench filled the air and Rin instantly covered her nose.

"Ah! Demons!" One of the girls cried.

"Demons? Where?"

"Right there!"

Rin saw them- round, sharp-teethed little monsters were instantly upon them, some small, others huge. Yukio acted quick, withdrawing a gun (a freaking gun!) out of his coat and shot three demons dead, right before they almost attacked the two girls.

"Everyone, get out of the room!" He yelled over the commotion. "Get into the hallway until I say its safe- they're weak, but trouble in numbers. I'm sorry- this is my mistake."

Everyone filed out of the door quickly, and Yukio turned to Rin. "You too."

"Like hell!" she slammed the door shut, "We are not done talking yet- and that was my fault!" she added offhandedly. "Sorry."

"I have nothing more to say to you," Yukio sighed and effortless shot a few hobgoblins behind him. "Besides, I have a mess to clean up. You're going to have to wait."

"_**Will you shut up and listen?!" **_

Rin felt a bestial edge to her voice erupt from her throat. Blue flames exploded from her being, incinerating all the goblins close to her in an instant.

"I know we haven't talked since Dad died- and I know we've both been avoided it," she snarled, swiping her clawed hand across the body of goblin getting too close. "And I hate it! If you knew about- _everything _all this time, then how did you feel? What do you think about me?"

"What do I think about you?" Yukio shot a demon mere inches to Rin's head, the air rippling by her ear. "That's obvious, Onee-san. You're a demon- and danger to all of humanity."

"_Yukio,"_ Rin's flames surged.

"You're such an idiot," he said, reloading. "What did you think you're doing, becoming an exorcist? What are you after? Revenge? Some sort of sick atonement toward father? If that's the case," he shot a dozen other demons in quick succession, before looking away. "Then you should give yourself to headquarters. Or just die, please."

"Atonment? **Revenge?**"

Rin snarled, burning a dozen demons to her right. "Don't tell me…don't tell you think it's _**my**_ fault he died, do you?"

"Do you deny it?" Yukio challenged, cutting down a row of goblins above them. "Onee-san, he spent his whole life protecting _you! _I should know- I watched him, all these years! Father was the only one who was strong enough to sustain procession by Satan himself, so naturally, he wanted his body!"

"For fifteen years, he fought off Satan through sheer willpower," Yukio took a step toward her, and Rin grit her teeth. "He would have never allowed Satan to overtake his body like that- not without some sort of fatal blow to his mind."

(_"Don't you ever act like you're my father ever again!"_)

"…you said something to him, didn't you?"

"I…" Rin's heart dropped in to her stomach. "I didn't…"

"If father ever had any weakness," Yukio leveled his pistol directly at her forehead. "It was you, Onee-san."

"You killed him."

Rin clenched her teeth. She had had _enough_. "I-I'm and idiot, yeah. Yukio, you can say whatever the hell you want…"

A hobgoblin, bigger a small car, was charging toward Yukio from behind.

"But don't you ever-!" she unsheathed Kurikara and a familiar sense of power coursed through her veins, painting the room blue. **"Don't you ever point a gun at your goddamn sister!"**

Yukio flinched, eyes wide. Rin took a step toward him. "Listen to me. I wasn't the one who killed dad- and I understand if won't ever forgive me. But is that really a reason to point that at me?"

"Onee-san," Yukio stepped back.

"Well?! _**If you're going to point that at me, then pull the trigger if it'll make you feel better!"**_

The huge goblin was mere feet away from him. Rin charged forward, Kurikara bathed in flames,

"_**SHOOT ME!"**_

Rin passed him and cut down the demon in a single swing. Yukio didn't move, still as stone, his gun still pointed where his sister had been.

Rin put her sword away and stood, flames receding. "You might think I'm some sort of monster, but I'm not low enough to fight my little brother."

There was a moment of silence. Rin slung Kurikara back over her shoulder, sharp ears dulling enlarged, canines returning to normal. Her tail slipped back under her shirt.

Yukio let his arm fall and stared at the ground. "Father's last moments. What was he like?"

"He was amazing," Rin said softly. "He died keeping me safe. I'm not out for revenge. I don't want to ever see anyone else get hurt trying to protect me. I want to become an exorcist…to be strong."

Yukio smiled- a real smile. "Then I guess we're the same- I only decided to become an exorcist to become stronger as well."

Rin grinned, finally feeling the tension between them thaw. "We're quite the pair, aren't we?"

A knock on the door broke up moment. "Sensei? Are you okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine," Yukio surveyed the room, which was mostly on fire- normal fire- or covered in bullet holes. "I can't say much for this classroom though."

"Ah! When the heck did this happen?" Rin jumped back from the charred remains of what had been Yukio's desk.

"Onee-san, you need to be more careful." Yukio sighed.

Rin sputtered. "I-I just need to learn control, alright?"

"Nevertheless," he added, now serious. "If you really want to be an exorcist, you're going to come across people who say the same words I did: just die, please. You need to be prepared to face them."

"When was the last time I took orders from anyone?" Rin smirked. "I'm ready for anything, Yukio."

He smiled and opened the door, greeting the somewhat worried faces of rest of the class. "I apologize for the accident. We're going to have to move to another classroom…"

* * *

After cram school, Rin finally managed to work through the maze that was True Cross Campus and find her dorm.

"Room 602…" she mumbled, flicking on the lights. "Looks like no one-"

"Good to see you finally found the place," Yukio greeted her from the middle of the room, where he was unpacking. "I was about to send out a search party. Surprised to see me?"

Truthfully, she was. But compared to everything else she'd went through that day, this was small potatoes. "Kind of. What are you doing here?"

"Ordinarily, first-year students have to share four-person room, but I pulled some strings so we could share. Usually co-ed roommates aren't allowed, but Sir Pheles deemed us a special case. You are dangerous, after all, and needed someone to look after you. I volunteered."

"So this is like a jail cell?" She supplied lamely.

"Pretty much. I'm your jailer!" Yukio smirked. "If you're going to be an exorcist, you're going to have to put up with a few incontinences."

"Bring 'em on," Rin grinned, collapsing on her bed in a heap.

"Excellent. You can start on the assignment I gave today."

"…what assignment?"

"…"

* * *

**(A/N) *headdesk***

**Fuck. Pardon my French, but _fuck_. I tried guys- I really did. I seriously tried to somehow make this chapter at least a little different fromthe canon, but I couldn't. I'm sorry if this was uberboring- but I can't seriously change things or write in more funny stuff until the other characters (Shiemi, Bon, Izumo, Amaimon, Shura…) are introduced. THEN, and I swear to god, THEN I'll let myself go nuts. **

**All I gotta say: thank goodness Shiemi is in the next chapter. Oh, and it looks like things are gunna be Bon/Rin. I'll put it to poll next chapter, but it looks like tides are turning in that direction.  
**


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